Modulation
by The Light of Reason
Summary: Cadel didn't expect to meet anyone at the Axis Institute, let alone a girl his age with a budding intellect and mysterious powers. He reconsiders his corrupt lifestyle and with her help plans to break out of the Institute-but at what cost? DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: The series _Evil Genius_ is written by author extraordinaire Catherine Jinks, not me. I simply wish to elaborate on her phenomenal plot line._

_What if Cadel didn't meet Sonja (aka Kay-Lee)? What if he met a girl at the Axis institute instead? This is where my story comes in. This is an alternate universe for the story _Evil Genius_, although it will stay within the main plot of the story. It's my first attempt at writing for this fandom, so I make no promises. I hope you enjoy, and feel free to leave a comment on the reviews page _:)

Cadel waited outside the lecture theatre with a notebook tucked under his arm, pretending to read a notice about the campus bookstore as he covertly studied his new classmates. Clive was your average loud-mouthed brute, his nose wrinkled in what could either be anger or constipation; it was never clear with bullies. The twins Jemima and Niobe were blond, tanned beauties with perky smiles and bubbly voices, their skills easily underestimated—which is exactly what they wanted. Kunio, a tall, military man who didn't know a lick of English was silent, posing no obvious threat. Doris was dull eyed and terribly unattractive, a shiver of repulsion shooting down Cadel's spine whenever their eyes met. The oddest-looking classmate had to be Gazo, resembling an astronaut more than a student of the Axis institute with his puffy yellow air-tight suit and gap-toothed grin. Finally there was Abraham, the only worthy opponent in Cadel's class, although with his sallow skin and dark rimmed eyes he resembled a corpse more than an intelligent student.

The class of eight stood in uncomfortable silence, their distrust for each other evident in the wary glances they exchanged. After only one day, each student had learned to keep to themselves and avoid their comrades at all costs. In fact, to enroll in the Axis Institute, one had to abhor human company, which Cadel could see most of his classmates did—excluding Jemima and Niobe, who descended cooing and fawning over Cadel the moment he appeared yesterday. This was not unanticipated. Cadel knew all about his peers thanks to a brief from Thaddeus the evening before his first class and was confident he would not suffer any tremendous surprises during the course of his school year.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Every ear became alert when the corridor echoed with approaching footsteps, the students expecting their Professor to round the corner any moment. Instead, a mid-height teenage girl with bright eyes and bouncy chestnut locks appeared, a shiny new copy of _Basic Lying_ pressed to her breast. She slowed her pace as she was hit by eight curious stares and her pale face flushed slightly in embarrassment, the girl lowering her amber eyes as she came to a halt on the outside of the group. She absentmindedly tucked a brunette curl behind her ear, seemingly fascinated by the tile pattern on the floor although most likely shy in front of her new classes. Cadel wondered who she was, trying to recall whether Thaddeus had mentioned her. Clive was the first to break the awkward silence, sneering, "Who're you?"

Either the girl didn't hear him or decided to ignore him, because she shifted the book in the cradle of her arms and glanced at the digital clock mounted on the wall. Annoyed by her indifference, Clive broke away from the circle outside the lecture hall door and sauntered up to her, stopping a mere foot away. The girl looked up as Clive repeated, "I _said,_ who're you?"

"No one particularly important," she countered in an accent that sounded almost American, flicking her eyes down to her toes. Clive reached out and gave one of her smooth curls a pull, letting it spring back. She visibly flinched, stumbling back a step in surprise and Clive grinned maliciously. He preyed on the weak, and she had just made a fatal mistake by showing her fear.

"Are you scared of me?" Clive demanded condescendingly, advancing toward her when she backed up. His hand reached out and landed on her lower back, pulling her to him as he lied, "I won't hurt you."

Cadel's eyebrows rocketed up his forehead at Clive's unmasked advances and he barely quelled the desire to help the girl. He didn't want to get on Clive's bad side any more than he already had, and since she got herself into trouble, she could get herself out.

He prepared to turn away as Clive's hand edged down the girl's backside, but Cadel froze in surprise when the girl thrust her book into Clive's abdomen corner first and the bully doubled over, cursing loudly. She stepped back from her work with shock on her face to rival Cadel's own, unable to believe what she had done. Clive squinted up at her from his position and bared his teeth, snarling, "Why, you little bi—"

At that moment, Thaddeus came strolling around the corner looking as calm as ever. He slowed when he saw Clive bent over clutching his stomach and the clump of students goggling at him, although Thaddeus showed no particular concern. Clive, one arm wrapped around his middle, straightened slowly and accused with a pointed finger, "She attacked me!"

Cadel of all people knew that Thaddeus showed compassion for no one, and scoffed at Clive for seeking empathy from his Professor. Thaddeus pretended to consider Clive's exclamation as he observed the girl who looked fairly chagrined under the scrutiny of her Professor. After a long moment, Thaddeus addressed the whole class with barely contained amusement in his voice, "I advise you follow Miss Carmen's lead: Whatever you do, don't get caught."

Without another word, Thaddeus unlocked the lecture hall and opened the double doors wide for his students, ignoring Clive's indignant splutters. The class trickled in quietly, only Jemima and Niobe conversing in loud whispers as they eyed the new girl. Cadel couldn't help peeking curiously at her as he found a seat in the centre of the seventh row, wondering why she wasn't in class their first day.

He quickly noticed that he wasn't the only one watching her. From his vantage point, Cadel could see Clive glaring at the back of the girl's head as she boldly descended the steps and took a seat halfway down the front row. She ducked out of sight to set her glossy book on the floor under her feet but reappeared a second later, settling comfortably into her chair.

Thaddeus waited until his students were seated before briefly running down the list of rules for the Axis Institute for "Miss Carmen's benefit", which mainly consisted of three subjects: Explosives, poisons and secrecy. If a student didn't take unauthorized poisons or explosives on campus and kept their mouth shut about what happened at the school, they would most likely survive the Axis Institute.

"Oh, and before I forget," Thaddeus added, looking directly at Cadel. He felt his pulse quicken as every pair of eyes turned to him, his blood burning just beneath the surface of his skin. _Not again!_ Thaddeus's diction was very clear as he said, "A reminder for most of you: we are joined this year by Mr. Darkkon, the son of the Institute's founder and one of my close associates."

He paused to run his eyes over each student before explaining, "As I mentioned yesterday, he is not to be harassed by anyone. You may do as you please to each other, but touch _him_ and there will be hell to pay. Do I make myself clear?" Silence ensued, which Cadel took to be an affirmative. The smile that graced Thaddeus's thin face as he made eye contact with the new girl made even Cadel's skin prickle, a tremor of dread shaking Miss Carmen's shoulders.

"Good. Now, since yesterday's class was taken up by a lecture from Luther and the Maestro, we'll start today's lesson with a game," Thaddeus said brightly, clasping his hands behind his back and striding slowly from centre stage to the far left. "Since this is a Basic Lying class, it makes most sense that we do an exercise in lying, so I may assess your abilities." Thaddeus looked out at the small crowd, making sure he had his students' attention before he carried on. "Each of you will come up and say three things about yourself, one of which is true. Your classmates will decide which one that is."

"Why do we have to figure out which one's true?" Clive demanded obnoxiously from his seat, his face creased in confusion. Although Cadel wouldn't admit it, he was also bemused by Thaddeus's exercise. He was unsure of his Professor's motives, but Cadel was certain that this was not simply an assessment of their ability to lie. Thaddeus already had everything he would need to know about his students on file. What was Thaddeus's angle?

Thaddeus smiled indulgently at Clive, replying, "Because before we can formulate convincing lies, we need to be able to identify what characterizes the truth. And since you seem so interested in our little game, why don't you go first, Mr. Slaughter?"

Clive groaned and heaved himself from his chair, clomping down the stairs until he reached the stage. He mumbled a series of almost incoherent words, but based on his hesitation coming up with the second and third statements, Cadel easily—and correctly—deduced the first was the truth. Thaddeus beamed at Cadel, applauding, "Well done. Care to give it a try, Mr. Darkkon?"

Cadel nodded and stood from his chair, feeling eight sets of eyes on him as he walked down to the stage, passing an annoyed Clive on his way. He marched across the stage and stopped in the middle, turning to face the ocean of red chairs and his impatient audience. Cadel moistened his mouth and began what he had prepared on his way to the stage: "My mother died in a car crash when I was five, I can decipher an encoded message in less than a minute, and I've won medals for competitive cycling."

The class sat quietly in thought, looking uncertain of Cadel. He suppressed a smile, pleased that he was able to lie so well, although it helped that he had baby blue eyes and the face of a cherub. Thaddeus waited an entire minute before he asked the class, "Show of hands, how many think the first is true?"

Every hand went up except one. Cadel's heart fluttered nervously and he swallowed, hoping the remaining voter would guess wrong. "The second?" Thaddeus intoned, his eyes trained on the girl in the front row. Cadel zeroed in on the mysterious girl as she meekly raised her hand, his eyes shooting daggers at her in hopes that she would lower it. No such luck. Thaddeus's face was drawn in what Cadel interpreted as disappointment as he said "The third?"

Only Gazo Kovacs's hand went up, and sighing wearily, Thaddeus reminded him, "You already chose the first option, Mr. Kovacs."

Gazo looked pensive as he replied, "I just fink that Cadel looks more like a cyclist than a kid wif a dead mother."

_How wrong you are, Gazo_, Cadel thought to himself, his eyes fixed on the girl in the front row. Thaddeus looked at Cadel expectantly and he sighed, saying through clenched teeth, "The second was true." The girl in the front row looked pleased, her smile vanishing as she met Cadel's burning glare. He stalked back to his seat and plopped down in the red chair, his mind clouded by irritation. He was so overcome with anger that he couldn't even enjoy guessing right each time another student went up. He didn't even find it amusing when Gazo stuttered something about meeting a mermaid. Finally it was the girl's turn, and she rose purposefully from her seat to take to the stage. She paused for a moment as Thaddeus whispered something inaudible to her and nodded, then moved to centre stage. Cadel gave Thaddeus a questioning look, but the psychologist remained aloof. The girl stared out at her class and after a moment spoke in a melodious voice.

"I'm an exchange student from Massachusetts, I live on a farm that specializes in dairy, and I'm in the poison department of the Axis Institute," she said smoothly, her face showing little expression as she waited for a guess. In this case, Cadel had nothing to go on; she didn't have a student file, and this was only the second time he had heard her speak. His brow furrowed in thought as he reviewed her introduction, looking a waver in focus, a twitch of the mouth, a stutter or stumble, _anything_. His photographic memory gave him little insight, although he did remember that she tucked a curl behind her ear as she said the first statement—a nervous habit. Cadel realized that her vowels weren't harsh enough to belong to an American accent, which eliminated her first statement. That only left the second and the third. After mulling over her words, Cadel concluded that she hesitated too long when naming her department at the Axis institute. The second had to be the truth.

Cadel raised his hand excitedly and Thaddeus smiled at his favorite pupil, saying, "Go ahead, Mr. Darkkon."

"The second is the truth," he answered triumphantly, smiling with self satisfaction at the girl. Her face showed no sign of disappointment or smugness as she levelly returned his gaze. Thaddeus titled his head and asked Cadel to explain his reasoning.

"Firstly, you don't have an American accent, so you can't be from Massachusetts," Cadel began, seeing her eyebrows rise slightly in approbation. Encouraged by her reaction, Cadel went on to say, "Also, when you said you major in poison, you hesitated, meaning you had to think about it, and showed no enthusiasm, meaning you have no interest in the subject. Therefore, the second is true."

Thaddeus turned to the girl and urged, "Is Mr. Darkkon correct?"

She looked directly at Cadel with her bright eyes, her lips forming the next word carefully: "No."

Cadel's face visibly fell and he leaned back in his seat, wondering where he had miscalculated. The problem was he didn't know enough about her, and if he had he would have easily been able to decide which statement was true. Thaddeus smiled at Cadel's disappointment and instructed, "Tell the class which one was true, Miss Carmen."

The girl looked up at Cadel again and said with a sheepish grin, "They were all false."

A flare of rage rose in Cadel, but Clive was much faster than he; the bully leapt from his seat and squawked, "That isn't fair! She didn't do it right!"

Thaddeus raised a bony hand, commanding Clive to return to a sitting position, although the brute did so grudgingly. When the murmurs of disgust had subsided, Thaddeus enlightened his class. "I asked Miss Carmen to do the exercise like this in order to teach you a lesson: you can't trust anyone. Not even if you believe they are concerned with your best interests, because life is a test to see who will come out on top. It is about conquering your enemies and winning at all costs. Don't ever forget that."

With that, the class was dismissed. Most of the students filed out chatting idly about the lesson, but Cadel sat rooted in his seat, glaring straight ahead. _How could she have known? It couldn't be more than a good guess, right?_ These questions swirled in his mind, becoming an indistinguishable blur when the girl neared him with her textbook tucked in the crook of her elbow. She caught his eye and the corners of her mouth turned up in a gentle, sincere smile, her freckled cheeks dimpling with the motion. Cadel felt his stomach do a tiny flip and quickly dropped his gaze, feeling the back of his neck heat up. He refused to raise his head until he heard the doors click shut behind her.

When he lifted his head, there was Thaddeus. He was looking down at Cadel with an odd expression on his face, though Cadel sensed the bitter, metallic taste of disappointment. Thaddeus's voice was unusually quiet as he asked, "What do you think of our new student, Cadel?"

"Who is she? She wasn't onli-on the roster you showed me," Cadel swiftly amended, hoping Thaddeus wouldn't notice his slip of the tongue. He had taken the liberty of skimming through the Axis Institute student files the night before his first class and didn't want Thaddeus to know, although he suspected the psychologist would approve his infiltration of the school system as opposed to frown upon the action.

"She registered late," Thaddeus replied casually, and Cadel furrowed his brow, pondering this for a moment. When he didn't speak, Thaddeus smiled wolfishly at Cadel and teased, "You aren't interested in her by any chance, my boy?"

"N-no!" Cadel quickly retorted, sounding a bit too defensive. Thaddeus's brows rose sceptically and Cadel calmed his voice before he explained rationally, "I just think she could provide useful data for my scientific formula on human behaviour."

Thaddeus's grin softened, his eyes dancing mischievously as he said to Cadel, "You'll have to do some digging of your own to find out about her. I suggest you start with the specialized student files and work from there. I trust you know the computer's password by now?" Before Cadel could open his mouth to speak, Thaddeus ghosted out of the room, leaving Cadel alone with his thoughts. A plan was already forming in Cadel's head. He had learned from Thaddeus that the best way to defeat your opponent was to study their systems and find its weakest point, which could then be easily taken out with a tactical strike. But in order to do that, he first had to get close to her.

Very close.

_Uh oh! Cadel is thinking again _D:_ When that happens, people always end up dying or disappearing…or both._

_Who is this mysterious girl? Where did she come from? Why is she here? Why do I always use rhetorical questions? Those answers and many more are coming up in my next chapter…that is, assuming the first goes well. Any thoughts? Put them in a review! Thanks so much for reading, and don't forget to check your closets for monsters! Have a wonderful day _:)


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: The characters and plotline of _Evil Genius_ belong to the author Katherine Jinks. She has merely inspired me to expand upon her story _:)

_There isn't much to say. I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

Cadel found himself once again stranded in No Man's land, facing the barren wasteland of the refectory, which was just a technical term for cafeteria. He had played this scene a thousand times over on his rapid journey through the public school system, facing the horrible uncertainty that comes with a lone cafeteria entrance: being met by many blank, unfriendly faces, searching desperately for a seat where you won't be noticed. Today, the refectory was fairly empty, most of the tables occupied by only one person. The only table holding more than one person was the table at which his classmates were seated—all of the first years, who had not yet learned that friends were undesirable.

The paper bag in Cadel's fist crinkled as his sweaty hand adjusted its grip, his feet itching to turn and run from the room. With any luck, the only other person in Hardware Heaven would be Com, who never seemed to leave. Cadel was about to slink out when Gazo caught sight of him and gestured him over with an animated wave that attracted the attention of the other students seated at his table. Cadel was propelled forward by some invisible force, reaching the table under the watchful and curious eyes of his older peers. He took a seat beside Jemima, deliberately ignoring the more convenient space beside Doris in an attempt to avoid her. She still creeped him out.

The only two absent at the table, Cadel noted as he pulled a cellophane wrapped sandwich out of his crumpled and slightly damp lunch bag, were Kunoi and the new girl. Miss Carmen, Cadel now recalled. He found himself looking around the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of her in the refectory, although he had no idea why. There was something strange about the way she behaved in class, an unfamiliar attitude she possessed. When she admitted to lying in class, she seemed …remorseful about breaking the rules; then, when she was leaving the lecture hall after class, she actually _smiled_ at him. The only other people who had smiled at him since he arrived at the Axis institute were the twins and Gazo. The twins smiled only when they were up to something that would cause discomfort to one or more of their peers, whereas Gazo's dopey smile was practically a permanent fixture on his face.

No, this girl was very different from the other Axis students; but whatever it was that made her so different from his classmates Cadel couldn't quite put his finger on. Even now, as he pondered this new student's presence, Cadel was incapable of processing the facets of her personality, his motherboard unable to make any sense of how she acted and how she made him feel.

"Cadel?" someone called, the sound far away to Cadel who was submerged in the crashing waves of his thoughts. He was snapped out of his trance as Jemima repeated, "Cadel?" The blonde beauty's face was pinched in confusion, replaced within seconds by an interested smile as she asked him sweetly, "What are you thinking about, cutie?"

"He must be lost in thought over that new girl in class. You can see it in his big, baby blue eyes," Niobe crooned from across the table, reaching over to give his pale cheek a gentle pinch. Cadel recoiled from the demeaning action and managed to stay the oncoming flush from his cheeks, although he felt his ears warm under the pairs of intrigued eyes that burned with curiosity.

Seeing Cadel's reaction, Jemima smiled and leaned over the table to stage whisper to her sister, "I wonder if this is his first crush?"

"Why don't you ask him?" Niobe rasped back, and the pair dissolved into hysterical giggles, daintily covering their mouths as they laughed. Clive grunted and stabbed a chunk of potato with his fork, mumbling before shovelling it into his cavernous mouth, "She's nothin' but a little shit! She practically pierced my lung with her damn book! What's her problem?"

"Her problem is that you're a whacker," Jemima replied rudely and Niobe cackled, mouthing something Cadel couldn't decipher to Jemima that sent her into giddy laughter. Clive frowned at the girls and stood suddenly from his seat at the table with tray in hand. He marched to the waste disposal and slammed this partially full tray on top of it, storming out of the refectory. The twins rolled their eyes at each other and continued some long postponed conversation that Cadel had missed the beginning of. None of the other students seemed to notice Clive's angry exit but Gazo, who stared after the hot head for almost a minute as if expecting him to return any second with a vengeance. Eventually he too returned to his lunch, and Cadel was the only one left affected by Clive's departure.

When Cadel was halfway through his sandwich and toying with the idea of skipping out on a lunch hour with his classmates to return to his computer, the person he had been waiting for entered the cafeteria. Cadel's stomach did a tiny flip when he saw the new girl poke her head in the door with a powder blue drawstring bag slung over one shoulder, taking in the massive room decked out in stainless steel and alternating shades of red and black. Niobe nudged her sister and pointed over Jemima's shoulder, the second turning around in her seat to see the girl who hung back timidly in the doorway. The twins made eye contact and exchanged a conspiring look, their faces identical masks of mischief that made Cadel's anxiety mount. Jemima glanced at Cadel out of the corner of her eye and Niobe nodded in agreement, the two sisters directing their prying eyes at the new girl.

"Hey!" Jemima called, waving wildly to attract the girl's attention. She froze in place and levelled her gaze on the twins, hesitating noticeably when she realized they were addressing her. She complied reluctantly when Niobe gestured welcomingly with her fingers, shuffling to their table and lowering herself warily into the seat next to Niobe only when the blonde patted it fondly with her hand and insisted, "Come sit next to me!"

"So," Jemima began brightly, leaning over the table and showing off her impressive cleavage in the process as she spread her fingers on the tabletop, "What's your name?"

The girl didn't answer immediately, sliding a Tupperware container from her blue bag and removing a purple steel water bottle with calculated precision. She placed the two items on the table before her and popped open the plastic container, removing a diagonally cut half of a sandwich. Her voice musical, she replied, "Melody Carmen."

"Such a lovely name!" Niobe gushed and her sister nodded in agreement, the two seemingly fascinated by her. Absentmindedly tucking a hair behind her ear, Niobe pressed nosily, "How old are you Melody?"

Cadel himself had noticed she looked younger than the other Axis students and couldn't help leaning forward in wait of her reply. Melody's cheeks flushed noticeably when she realized that everyone was staring at her: Niobe and Jemima with falsely kind expressions on their faces, Gazo with a vivid look of interest, Abraham with eyes that screamed apathy, Doris with her dull, cold regard and Cadel with intense, thoughtful eyes that made her heart skip in her chest. Her eyes falling to the hands folded in her lap, Melody mumbled nervously, "I'm fifteen."

"Fifteen!" Jemima exclaimed, exchanging a raised brow look with her twin. Niobe's eyes glinted wickedly and she mused aloud, "Interesting. You're not much older than Cadel."

Cadel felt a mixed sense of relief that he wasn't exponentially younger than every single one of his peers and resentment that Melody had showed him up in Basic Lying. He also felt a bit panicked by Niobe's remark, hoping she wasn't insinuating what he _thought_ she was. Melody shrugged helplessly and joked half-heartedly, "The Axis Institute made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

Although everyone else was amused by this comment, Cadel had the suspicion that she wasn't entirely on board with being at the Axis Institute but had accepted the offer for her own safety. Before he could ponder this further, Niobe butted in conversationally, "You have a delightful little accent! Are you from America?"

Melody opened her mouth to reply but Jemima cut her off like a blade, suggesting, "Let Cadel guess first! He's _so_ smart he'll probably know where she's from!" Jemima engaged Cadel with her next question, asking him, "Where do you think she's from, sweetie?"

Cadel ruffled at being called "sweetie", although he was more concerned with being put on the spot. He took a long sip of water to stall for time as he scrambled to analyze Melody's speech rhythms and vowel sounds. The accent was too soft to be American, but her vowels were too narrow to be British; she didn't sound European and there was little chance she came from South America, Asia or Africa. The answer was relatively easily to come about and Cadel smiled to himself as he rhetorically asked his new classmate, "You're Canadian, right?"

Melody blinked in surprised and finally nodded, making Niobe and Jemima titter like pigeons. Niobe leaned over the table and sing-songed to her sister in a voice loud enough for the entire table to hear, "I think these two are crushing on each other!"

In a flash, Melody's face went from naturally flushed to fire engine red, her eyes widening as they met Cadel's. He was temporarily muted by shock, unable to protest or assure Melody that this was untrue. Before he could utter a word, she hastily collected her things and stuttered an excuse as she rocketed from her seat, bolting out of the refectory without so much as a backwards glance.

Cadel frowned to himself, thinking furiously, _'Thanks to the twins, I've lost any chance of getting close to her in the next few weeks!'_ He glowered fiercely at the table as he took an overly large bite of his sandwich, cursing the twins for being so nosy. As he imagined ways to make them pay for ruining his plan, a new thought ball began rolling, increasing in momentum and working the gears of his brain feverishly. By the time his plan had come to fruition, he was done of his lunch and rushing out of the refectory with the pretext of finishing some infiltration homework.

Thankfully, none of his classmates had any idea that he had finished his infiltration homework for the week yesterday.

_Dun dun DUN! What could Cadel possibly be up to? And is his interest in Melody purely scientific? Methinks the lad doth protest too much _;)

_I hope you enjoyed, and please give any feedback you can come up with to improve this story! I really want to do the series justice._


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